Trust Issues
by silverwritinggoddess
Summary: I know this has been written numerous times, but I wanted to try my hand at it. Serena has had enough with the lack of faith that her friends have been showing her. It's time to show her friends what she's made of and that she can be reliable and trustworthy as a friend and leader!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Today I had been feeling like nobody had faith in me as an employee and as a person. Was I down? Yes. Upset? Yes, but enough with the pity party. My little experience with that gave me the inspiration to write this piece about trust (a common theme here, I know). What's a working relationship without trust? We find out in this little multi-shot done in Sailor Moon's POV. Reviews are always welcomed!

* * *

*sigh*

Today has been a rough day. It seems that every time that I try to take charge of the Sailor Scouts, they resist the idea. Yes, I'm clumsy, an airhead, and a big crybaby, but that's the person that they have come to know as their leader. They don't know the real me on the inside. On the inside, I'm a whole different person. I'm the princess that they seek but revealing that would cause more skepticism on their parts and, thus, cause them to distrust my ability to run the group. I must admit that it's very stressful to know that your team doesn't trust you or have faith in you. There are nights that this revelation has caused me to break down and cry. Even Tuxedo Mask, my Endymion, doesn't trust my skill either considering the numerous times he had to rescue me from Youma. I must destroy and fix these trust issues that have developed. I can't take the heartbreak from this disconnect any longer. They never loved me for the person that I showed them.

"I'll have to show them what I'm truly made of."

To end this charade, I must take things slowly and surely. Luna agrees with me since she has known of my charade and that the best course of action to prove myself to the scouts is to break the 'habits' that I 'developed' as Serena Tsukino. The first step that I plan on taking is waking up early and getting my schoolwork done perfectly. I've already finished the assignments for tomorrow so all I really need to do is set my alarm and get ready to school. My father is already surprised by the changes that I made to my lifestyle and so is my brother. His antics don't bother me in the least and I even get back at him with a few pranks of my own, which delights him. Mother isn't as surprised as the rest of my family but she is genuinely pleased with the progress I have made as of late.

"She's become such a mature, young lady." I hear her sigh.

The next morning comes rather quickly. I'm up at 6:30 in the morning, an hour before school begins, to get a shower in and to get prepared for the day. Luna manages to get my school uniform ready for me to slip into as I dry my long, golden hair and put them up in their usual pigtails. I put my broach on the front of my uniform and get into my socks and shoes. I'm ready for the day and I make my way downstairs to join the rest of my family. Jaws drop at my appearance but I simply smile and bid them a pleasant good morning. Mother smiles and bids me a good morning as she places my breakfast in front of me. I amaze everyone with my ability of NOT inhaling my food. It's pretty entertaining to see the looks my family's faces. Priceless, as a matter of fact and I cannot be anymore prouder of myself. It's one step forward of gaining their trust and building their faith in me.

_Now for phase two._

I walk to school with Shingo and leave him at the middle school building. I didn't run into Darien today because of my early start so he's going to be surprised by my development if and when I see him at the Crown after school. As I walk past the gates of the high school, I can feel the girls gawk at me as I walk past them with confidence and an elegance that they have never seen before. One of the biggest parts of this 'experiment' has yet to come and it's something that I'm looking forward to. I'm going to prove to them that I am capable of being reliable and being on time. Of course, this has to be done over the course of time consistently in order to build up their faith and confidence in me.

* * *

"Is it me, or is that really Serena?" Raye asks.

"I don't know!" Amy replies, dumbfounded.

"I guess we'll find out." Lita says.

* * *

My classmates gawk at me some more as I enter the classroom on time. Ms. Haruna is just as amazed as she enters behind me. She actually touches my head for a temperature and asks me if I'm feeling fine. I just give her a pleasant smile and tell her that I'm absolutely fine before handing in my homework assignment. She gapes at me as she hangs onto my papers. Then she does something that I have completely expected her to do: she sits down and starts grading my paper in front of my class. Her eyes go wide but a very proud smile appears on her face as she tells me that I got a 100 percent on it. Everyone is amazed and at least one student has said that this had to be a fluke. Unexpectedly, Lita tells him to shut up, which he does. I flash her a quick grin before turning my attention to the front for our class lecture. I know that I'm confusing the girls but once they see that I'm not the person they usually see, they'll change their tune.

_Raye is definitely going to be in denial._

I know that hot-head is not liking what she sees at the moment and I expect her to come marching up to me at some point of the day. She makes her appearance at lunch...


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I had started to write this and then I got busy and forgot. I'm so sorry about the delay. I hope you guys understand that everyone at work is going on summer vacation and I have to fill in for everyone in the world. *sigh* I hope you guys enjoy. Reviews and feedback are always welcomed! Might be some Raye bashing here!

* * *

Raye just stares as she stands in front of me. She has nothing to say, which is a first for her, and I can see the struggle in her eyes. She doesn't know what to make of what she sees before her. I just return a cool stare of my own, even though I just want to get up and hug her, telling her that everything will be okay. Of course, I stay where I am and just manage to stop her from slapping me. I grab her wrist and command her, in a voice that I have never used before, to stand down and back off. Her violet eyes widen in surprise and actually steps back. I let her wrist go, which falls to her side.

"This isn't you, Serena." Raye says. "What happened to the old Serena that I knew?"

"She's gone." I reply. "She disappeared when she realized that her friends don't trust her as a leader or as a friend."

The raven-haired Sailor Scout falls silent as she realizes the magnitude of my words. She always mocked me and berated me for being late and clumsy as Sailor Moon. She's made fun of me for being lazy and that stuffing my face is one of my hobbies. I tell her that the lack of faith from her and our friends has hurt me as well. Lunch has only started but it feels like it's gone on forever. Raye is trying to find an explanation for her behavior but she's coming up short. I look up from my perch and see the rest of the girls from a distance. I simply cock an eyebrow at them and each of them duck their heads in shame and embarrassment. They didn't expect to be caught spying on me and Raye. Well, they will get some one-on-one time with me when the time comes. For now, the Scout of Mars is my priority.

"Serena," She says softly. "You honestly think that we don't trust you or have faith in you?"

"No. You and the girls always berate me for being late for fights. Has it not occurred to you that there might be a reason for that?"

She remains silent as I continue my rant. I ask her if it never occurred that there might be a reason for stuffing my face. She shakes her head and I tell her that my transformation often takes a lot of energy out of me and that I need to replenish that lost energy, which goes hand in hand with my tendency to oversleep and run late for class. Then I tell her the heavy truth of that there are times that I don't want to fight because I never asked to be Sailor Moon, which is another reason why I lag at times. Raye sighs sadly when she hears this. I know that she didn't want to be Sailor Mars either, but that it's a fate that we have, or will have come, to accept. I tell her that instead of being quick to judge, that she needs to think of the possibilities of what could have kept me from arriving in a timely manner.

"I don't think that might be possible for you, though, as you have a fiery temper." I finish.

I have to admit that last statement is quite harsh, but she needs to hear the truth and the truth often hurts. She simply bows and whispers an apology before returning to her circle of friends. I miss them a lot but they need this. They need to know that their lack of faith in me as a leader has hurt me deeply. My angry side says that Raye is nothing more than a cold-hearted prick that only cares for herself and for my position as leader. I sigh and shake my head as I pick at my food. Thinking such thoughts is rather counterproductive. I return to the classroom early, not wanting to be there where they could see me sniffling, and start working on my homework. I know what I have said and done today is for the best and I know that Luna would agree with me there.

* * *

I head over to the Crown after school for my typical treat. Andrew and Darien are surprised that I don't have detention, but I just give them pleasant smiles and sit down at one of the booths. Andrew takes my order, which is my usual hamburger, fries and milkshake, but his eyes are wide as he sees me doing my homework, rather than playing games. I tell him that I'm turning over a new leaf in the coolest, yet, pleasant voice possible. His surprise turns into concern but he doesn't say anything. The green-eyed young man returns to work after telling me that I can come to him if I wanted to talk. I smile and promise that I would turn to him if something comes up. I sigh as I turn my attention to my homework and fail to notice the tall, dark-haired man approaching my table.

"This isn't like you, meatball head," Darien says. "What gives?"

I stare at him with cool eyes, refusing to be charmed by his voice and his midnight-blue eyes. Darien is six years older than I am and, yet, I'm attracted to him. I huff at this revelation. He's another thorn in my side. For once, I would just like for him to take me seriously and doing my homework in front of him seems to be a start. I tell him the truth about how I feel. I don't know why I told him that but it all came spilling out. His mocking eyes softened at my story and I clam up. I have said too much to him. He yanks at my pigtail but I refuse to budge.

"I can't get this algebra problem." I sigh.

"May I help you?" Darien asks politely.

I sigh before relenting and accepting his offer. I'm getting a headache and it's only polite to accept the help since Algebra is my worst subject in school.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm back from the dead. I've just been overworked and extremely busy trying to get a website up and launched (which is all said and done, now). I've never meant to abandon this fan fic along with the others, but the adult world has demanded a lot of my time. That being said, I'll try to update this fic at least once a week. I think that way it'll be easier and less stressful for me and leave you guys something to look forward to.

On to the show!

* * *

Raye's POV

I never thought I would see the day that the meatball head...I mean, Serena...would take a stand for herself. I'm proud of her for that, but I miss the old Serena. The old Serena would be crying her head off and one of us would be trying to comfort her at least. Come to think of it, though, I don't think anyone has comforted the crying girl. We were all too busy teasing her about her eating habits and her sleeping habits to comfort her. I feel awful. Instead of being the friends that we should have been, we had been degrading her about her flaws. I think she's a wonderful leader and even more so now that we all know what she's been doing at night. Gosh, it never even occurred to me that the silver crystal would take energy out of her. I feel even more guilty for putting her down.

Still, I'm thankful that she let me anywhere near her. She's our leader and we need to protect her. The thought of her running around alone at night, battling youmas doesn't sit too well with me. She could get hurt. I could have scolded her for it, but the fact that she's still here with us alive and in one piece tells a story about her strength...a strength that we, as sailor scouts, have missed. How could we have missed that strength? She's far much stronger than we have given her credit for. I mean it took a lot of guts to even admit that she never wanted to be Sailor Moon or even fight against these monsters. I know what she feels because I never asked to be Sailor Mars either. None of the girls wanted to be sailor soldiers but Serena's the first one out of the bunch to have accepted the fact that we are destined to fight and protect this planet as Sailor Scouts. I sigh as I rejoin the girls. They saw and heard everything.

"She thinks that we don't have any faith in her?" Lita asks sadly.

"No." I answer.

None of us say a word. Even though that Serena is nowhere to be seen, I can still feel her power level. It has increased from the time that I met her and that's impressive. I'm ashamed for even thinking that she was too weak and unfit to be a leader. The way she carried herself in front of me reminded me of a princess...regal and elegant. Even her blue eyes held a command presence in them. She's definitely not the same airhead that we all have come to know and love.

"We should have been there at her side and fighting along with her." Mina says.

We spend the rest of the afternoon wondering about the 'what ifs.' It's later that night that we get a first glimpse of Sailor Moon's strength and agility.

* * *

Serena's POV

I sigh. My head hurts from all of the algebra that's been crammed into my head, but math is somewhat easier now thanks to Darien's help. I didn't think that I would even enjoy his presence, much less his help but I did. I take in another milkshake before I head home for the evening. It's when I'm walking home that a youma makes an appearance and starts attacking the public. I quickly duck into an alleyway and transform into Sailor Moon.

"In the name of the moon, I shall punish you!"

One of these days, I'm going to drop that cheesy phrase. Just hearing it from my own lips sounds so weird. From now on, I'm just going to just jump straight into battle. I take the youma head on by kicking its legs out from underneath it. This youma is a female, humanoid creature with light blue skin, gold eyes and bright yellow hair. Her voice is high-pitched, like a falcon, and extremely annoying. She's extremely fast. That first hit that I inflicted had been pure luck. I'm just barely dodging her attacks.

"You're dead meat, Sailor Moon." The monsters says.

That lapse in attack is enough for me to take her by surprise with my tiara. I toss the tiara and trap her with it. I'm about to finish her off with my moon scepter when she breaks free. Thankfully, though, Tuxedo Mask makes a timely entrance by throwing his metal-tipped rose and the rest of the Sailor Scouts show up at the same time. Venus traps her again with her Love Me Chain while Mars fries her alive, greatly weakening her. I finish the creature off immediately with my scepter, turning her into moon dust. I sigh. I'm ready to sit down and relax but I don't. I refuse to show this weakness in front of everyone.

"That was great, Sailor Moon!" Mina exclaims happily.

I just give her a tired smile but say nothing. This is the first time, I realize, that we actually worked as a team. It feels good that we are capable of working as a team...keyword: _capable._ It doesn't mean that this is going to happen all the time. I give the Sailor Scouts a brief glance before hauling my tired body home and telling them.

"Now you what I have to deal with when you guys aren't here to fight."


End file.
